WPMI-TV
kW | |
HAAT | 563 m (1,847 ft) |
---|---|
Transmitter coordinates | 30°36′41″N 87°36′26.4″W / 30.61139°N 87.607333°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | mynbc15 |
WPMI-TV (channel 15) is a
WPMI-TV and WJTC share studios on Azalea Road in Mobile; master control and some internal operations are based at the shared facilities of WEAR-TV and WFGX on Mobile Highway (US 90) in unincorporated Escambia County, Florida (with a Pensacola mailing address). WPMI-TV's transmitter is located in unincorporated Baldwin County, Alabama (northeast of Robertsdale).
History
Early history
WPMI first signed on the air on March 12, 1982, and was the first
In January 1989, Michigan Energy Resources sold WPMI to Clear Channel Communications; the company (the current-day iHeartMedia) at the time was still a small radio broadcaster in the pre-Telecommunications Act of 1996 era, and WPMI's purchase was its first foray into television.
In 1991, Clear Channel entered into a
NBC affiliation
Fox wanted to upgrade affiliates in many markets when it
Upon becoming an NBC affiliate, the station began airing more syndicated
On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel Communications entered into an agreement to sell its television stations to
In 2009, WPMI began using digital billboards within its viewing area, which featured headlines from the station's Twitter feed alongside a photo of anchors Greg Peterson and Kym Thurman, and chief meteorologist Derek Beasley, a juxtaposition that would prove to be awkward when a headline regarding three people accused in a gang rape which occurred in Monroeville, Alabama, appeared next to the staff picture. A motorist took a picture of the digital billboard and sent it to a South Carolina–based blog, "The Palmetto Scoop".[4] The picture would later appear on Mashable,[5] and was then distributed worldwide in e-mails and other blogs, becoming an internet meme. WPMI general manager Shea Grandquest and news director Wes Finley were reportedly suspended over the incident, though it was never officially confirmed by station executives.[6][7]
On July 19, 2012, Newport Television announced the sale of WPMI and WJTC, along with five other television stations to the Sinclair Broadcast Group (the owner of WEAR-TV and WFGX). However, due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules which forbid both one company from owning two of the four highest-rated stations or more than two stations overall in the same market, the licenses of WPMI and WJTC were transferred to Deerfield Media, although Sinclair would operate the two stations under a local marketing agreement.[8] The transaction was completed on December 3, 2012.[9] As in certain other markets where Sinclair operates two "Big Three" or "Big Four" affiliates, and due to the stations' distance from Pensacola, many of the operations of WPMI and WJTC remain separate from those of WEAR-TV and WFGX.
On July 28, 2021, the FCC issued a Forfeiture Order against Deerfield Media stemming from a lawsuit involving WPMI-TV. The lawsuit, filed by AT&T, alleged that owner Deerfield Media failed to negotiate for retransmission consent in good faith for WPMI and other Sinclair-managed stations. Deerfield was ordered to pay a fine of $512,228 per station named in the lawsuit, including WPMI.[10]
News operation
This section needs expansion with: include additional information about WPMI's news department history.. You can help by adding to it. (May 2011) |
WPMI presently broadcasts 9+1⁄2 hours of local newscasts each week (with 1+1⁄2 hours each weekday, and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).
Clear Channel Communications decided to start a full-fledged news department for WPMI shortly after the station took the NBC affiliation; the station debuted its local newscasts on January 1, 1996, with an hour-long 6 a.m. newscast, half-hour newscasts at noon and 5 p.m. on weekdays and evening newscasts at 5 and 10 p.m. nightly.
On
On August 24, 2009, WPMI adopted the "Local 15" branding, beginning with its 5 p.m. newscast; it also began using "The Weather Authority" as the brand for its weather forecasts. Both brands are a nod to Cincinnati sister station WKRC-TV, which has been known as "Local 12" since 2004 and used "The Weather Authority" name for its weather branding since the late 1980s. On April 22, 2012, WPMI-TV became the fourth and last television station in the Mobile-Pensacola market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition; the transition occurred the day after WALA-TV upgraded its own newscasts to HD.
On September 9, 2013, WPMI expanded its weekday morning newscast by a half-hour to 4:30 a.m. That same day, it also expanded its weekday noon newscast to one hour with the addition of a half-hour at 12:30 p.m.[13] On September 23, 2013, WPMI began producing two half-hour evening newscasts on sister station WJTC that airs weeknights at 6:30 and 9 p.m.;[14] the 9 p.m. newscast competes with WALA's longer-established prime time newscast (which comparatively runs for one hour) and ironically, also competes with fellow sister station WFGX's 9 p.m. newscast that is produced by WEAR-TV (a half-hour program that debuted one month earlier on August 12, 2013). The 6:30 newscast was canceled in 2016 and the 9 p.m. newscast was moved to 7 p.m. in 2018.
In June 2015, the 4:30 a.m. newscast was canceled; under FCC regulations, a company providing more than 15% of a station's programming per week would have an "attributable interest" in the station, thus counting as ownership. Sinclair cannot hold an attributable interest in WPMI due to its ownership of WEAR, as both stations rank among the top four in the market.
In September 2016, WPMI scaled their noon newscast back to a half-hour to make room for the daily lifestyle program Gulf Coast Today.
In November 2019, WPMI announced they were hiring meteorologist Alan Sealls, who had worked at rival station WKRG for over 20 years until failing to reach a new contract with station management. He made his on-air debut in January 2020.
In April 2023, the morning and noon newscasts and Gulf Coast Today were canceled and 20 members of WPMI's news staff were laid off. The morning newscast was replaced with The National Desk and the noon newscast and Gulf Coast Today were replaced with reruns of Family Feud.[citation needed]
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
15.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WPMI-DT | NBC |
15.2 | 480i | Quest | Quest | |
15.3 | TheNest | The Nest | ||
44.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WJTC | WJTC (Independent) |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WPMI-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPMI-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Pensacola News Journal from Pensacola, Florida on January 1, 1996 · 15".
- Clear Channel Communications. April 20, 2007. Archived from the originalon April 25, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- ^ The Palmetto Scoop: "Epic Billboard Fail", November 19, 2009.
- ^ Mashable: "Twitter Billboard Leads to Epic Fail", November 29, 2009.
- ^ Lagniappe: "WPMI GM, ND Suspended Over Billboard", November 25, 2009.
- ^ The Telegraph (London): "TV station managers suspended following Twitter 'gang rape' billboard", November 30, 2009.
- ^ Newport Sells 22 Stations For $1 Billion, TVNewsCheck, July 19, 2012.
- ^ "Sinclair Broadcast Group". Archived from the original on December 7, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Forfeiture Order" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. July 28, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Mobile leprechaun story revisited by TV anchor". Press-Register. March 17, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "Mobile leprechaun reaches mythical status as the 'Gone with the Wind' of Web videos". Press-Register. July 27, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ WPMI and WJTC Adding News and Talent TVSpy, September 3, 2013.
- ^ WPMI to produce newscasts for WJTC... Florida NewsCenter, August 29, 2013.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WPMI
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.